An unforseen event
by squeakyfingers
Summary: Abandoned. A court case goes wrong and the aftermath shocks the Gray family. Its got some swearing and violent content.
1. Maxine's Bridge is Tumbling Down

  
  
  
  


Disclaimer: I do not own the characters......yada yada yada. They can sue me if they want, im broke anyway. Please feel free to criticize, I can always use it.   
  


An Unforseen Event   
  


Amy didn't even see it coming. She didn't notice the tiny glint of metal in the sunlight as the defendent, a boy, merely sixteen, pulled the small pistol out of the pocket of his jeans. To her he just looked like a very troubled boy, lost in thought, eyes cast down and staring at his shoes. It didn't surprise her, many of the teens who came into her courtroom held that very same look on their face when she passed her sentence.They didn't like having their future in someone elses hands. All they could hope for was that she saw some regret or remorse for their actions and gave them a break. But some of them didn't deserve a break. 

" Mr. Barkley, you should realize how very lucky you are. Considering the crime that you have committed and your age, you should be lucky that your case is still in the juvenile court. I am sentencing you to DCF until your eighteenth birthday with the reccomendation that you be enrolled in anger management classes. I hope that you have learned your lesson." Amy closed the case file in front of her. The boy's eyes for a faint second glimmered of anger and hate as he raised his head in acknowledgement to her verdict. 

Adjourning the court session she turned around and headed towards her chambers feeling a sense of dread ebbing at her mind. Amy did not know that the young boy had a gun. She didn't know how desperate he was to find a way out. Her mind never even registered the sound of the shots fired from the gun. Blinding, soaring pain awakened her senses, first in her upper arm, then in her back. Staggering towards the door she toppled onto the floor, images of her family floating in front of her vision, her subconscious giving into the blackness. It beckoned for her to come closer, blackness overtook her body, and the last thing she attempted to mutter was a feeble 'sorry' that died on her lips as she sank into the swirling black abyss.   
  


* * * * 

*The phone rang. 

" Hello? Yes, this is Maxine Gray........"   
  


For the second time in the last year and a half Maxine picked up the phone unaware of the sadness and despair that laid on the other end. Her sturdy, rock-solid personality crumbled as she dropped to the floor. Coworkers and bystanders alike stopped what they were doing. Maxine Gray never cried in front of them. Maxine never showed fear or weakness. They knew that something was wrong, horribly wrong. She was shaking, crying into her hands. 

" She's......She's....why?..ohh god why?" 

" Maxine!What happened?Tell me!?!" Sean yelled as he bolted out of his office. 

" Ohh god not two? Why both of them?" she choked out through the flood of tears that would not cease. 

" Back off people, this is none of your business" Sean ordered. Viewers scurried away to their offices left wondering what was going on. 

" Maxine? Come on, get up and tell me whats wrong. You shouldn't be here, i'll drive you home. We can talk in the car if you would like." he knelt down beside her offering to help her up. 

" Not home, to the hospital, I have to go." she murmered as she got up. She rushed to find her coat, fumbling for her keys. 

" Maxine I said i'll drive..." 

" Fine lets go" she was halfway out the door by the time Sean had his coat.   
  


She sat in the car wringing her hands nervously. This was wrong. This was just utterly and despicably wrong. Things were not supposed to be like this. Maxine wondered why fate always screwed her over. First Vincent and now this. What did her family ever do to them. Family. She would have to call Peter and Jilian. They needed to know, it wasn't fair if they didn't know. What about Vincent? She would have to call him and Carol as well. They're three thousand miles away. Him and Amy were always so close, he'll probably fly out the minute he finds out. Maxine hoped that Carol would too, she was part of the family, and Maxine needed all of the support that she could get. 

Vivid images danced about in her head recreating what had happened. The thoughts brought a fresh set of tears to her eyes. She could just picture the whole thing happening in slow motion, one frame at a time Cold shivers ran down her back thinking of how Amy suffered. Amy always loved the law and now it had gone and fucked her. Damn the system, damn everyone. Hell with rules and boundaries, all they do is make a mess of everything. The god damn system doesn't work, Maxine thought. Rain had begun to fall and the thunder rumbled as the car rolled along the street. It was going to be another dreary day. The sky looked much like Maxines heart felt, very heavy and dark. There was just to much pain and heartache there.When was it all going to stop? The burden was to much for her. 

"Ohh Amy...." she whispered as she looked out the rain streaked windows. What was she going to do now?   
  


Please R and R....I may leave this as a stand alone story or if you want to find out what happens to Amy please review and I will write more. Thanks. 


	2. From Midnight Phone Calls to Surfing Mon...

  
  
  
  
  
  


Disclaimer: Have we all heard this before? I think that we have.......no I don't own them damnit but I wish I did. Sue me people at CBS, I dare you, im absolutely broke. As in that nice green stuff that we buy things with does not exist right now in my world. You can have the broken pencil that I write with if you want.....   
  


P.S. Yes I brought Vincent back. I always liked his character on the show. This chapter has more dialogue in it. Well I hope you enjoy.....now on with the show.....   
  


Chapter 2-From Midnight Phone Calls to Surfing Monkeys   
  


Three thousand miles away, it was two o' clock in the morning when the phone rang waking a very sleep deprived Vincent Gray from his deep slumber. He attempted to cover his head with the pillow to drown out the noise, but the phone did not stop ringing. For a moment he considered flinging it across the room but dismissed the idea.Irritated he rubbed his eyes and sat up in the bed that he shared with his wife.   
  


"Who in the hell would be calling this late at night?" he mumbled, finally picking the phone up off of the reciever. 

" Hello Vincent Gray here. Hey mom, this is a surprise. Why are you calling so late? Did you forget about the time difference or what? Hey mom, slow down. You didn't say what I just think you said did you?" he leans slowly back against the wall his face full of disbelief. " Sure, yea no problem, umm, i'll catch the first flight out there that I can. Is Lauren holding up alright? You have told her haven't you? Okay, yea I love you too, ill be there soon, bye" Vincent dropped the phone back onto the reciever.   
  


"Honey, who was that calling at this hour?" Carol asked with a yawn. 

" My mother. I have to go, somethings happened, they need me in Hartford." he replied as he shoved clothes into his bag not caring if they matched or not. 

" But Vincent, my last check-up is tomorrow and you said that you would be there! You promised me." she said angrily.   
  


" I know I promised you but I can't. Its not like I am intentionally missing it. My family really needs me right now." He turned away from her and began frantically searching for something in the closet.   
  


" I thought we were each others family. Isn't that what you said?"   
  


"We are but....."   
  


" NO! No buts about it. You are so attached to them! Its like your afraid to be away from them. Well Vincent, you're a big boy now. They can deal with it, whatever it is and you can stay here and take care of your priorities, the ones that you got yourself into when we decided to go to Vegas and get married. 

" DAMNIT!" he yelled so loud that the neighbors below them yelled for them to shut up. 

" Vinc....."   
  


" Stop it Carol just stop it. I can't handle fighting with you on top of everything else going on now." he claimed looking worn out and defeated.   
  


The room was heavy with silence while Carol studied every line and detail of his face. It was riddled with worry and sorrow. It seemed to hold a wisdom that a person only obtains from loss and heartbreak. She was so wrapped up in yelling at him that she hadn't even realized how much pain that he was in.   
  


" Honey, what are you looking for?" she saw that he had thrown practically everything out of the closet.   
  


" The Sacred Surfing Monkey. It was passed on to me when I moved out here and I want to give it back now." he saw Carol climb off the bed and dive under it. A minute later she reamerged with a large box. She opened it and there it was, a large surfing monkey.   
  


" Its bad isnt it? I mean the reason why your going home?" her voice was full of concern and caring.   
  


"Yea, it is"   
  


" Care to get it off your chest, maybe I can help."   
  


" There isn't even really anything I can do and I hate it. I feel so damn powerless. Its just not fair." 

"Please just tell me...its not Evie again is it? Trying to get Ned back again?"   
  


" No, nothing like that. My sister Amy, she's a judge.....you remember her and her daughter Lauren right?"   
  


" Yea I remember, you two were pretty close" she nodded her head.   
  


"There was a teen abuse case in her courtroom today. I guess he was angry at her or something, I don't know. He had a gun in his pocket. They don't know how it got past security, but it did. Amy was involved in a shooting."   
  


To be Continued......   
  


Cliffhanger...dun dun dun! Don't worry.....all will be revealed in the next chapter. I'll try to get it up in a week or so. I hoped you enjoyed the surfing monkey. It seemed appropriate to throw him in there. 


	3. Family Ties

  
  
  
  
  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Judging Amy, they are owned by CBS and what not. This part may get alittle confusing again. I know I am moving the setting around all of the time but just work with me here. It should become clear soon. I was having a major case of writer's block during this chapter. Sorry it took me so long to post this but with school and some personal stuff I haven't had the time to get it ready.Thank goodness for spring break. I hope you enjoy it!   
  


Chapter Three: Family Ties   
  


The halls of the hospital were quiet as the early morning hours passed by. The Gray family sat wearily waiting for some news. Peter and Jillian had left their son Ned with the babysitter that was watching Lauren, and rushed over to the hospital as fast as they could. By the time they gotten there, Amy had been rushed into emergency surgery and neither of them were able to find out how she was doing. Now all they could do was wait.The doctor hadn't given them any news for hours, but to them it seemed more like an eternity. Maxine was finally forced to go hunt down someone so she could get some information, while Peter and Jillian sat in the waiting room.   
  


" Peter! Will you stop pacing? Its making me crazy, and I don't really think its helping." Jillian grabbed him by the arm and stopped him.   
  


"I can't help it. When I get worried, I pace, and right now I have a lot to be worried about. Its not everyday that someone calls my office and tells me some crazy, dilinquent convict shot my baby sister! How do you sneak a nine milimeter pistol into a juvenile courthouse anyway? Don't they have metal detectors and guards to protect against that kind of thing? Sombody has to be responsible for this."   
  


" Peter, calm down, your ranting"   
  


" Its just that she's my sister and I am supposed to protect her. It kills that I wasn't able to be there. What's even worse is she's in there all by herself, fighting for her life and we're stuck out here." small tears slipped one by one down his cheeks as he spoke.   
  


"There wasn't anything you could do honey. There wasn't a thing any of us could have done. Its useless to beat yourself up about it. You have to stay strong for Amy, she wouldn't want you to feel guilty. Think of how Vincent must be feeling right now, he's three thousand miles away." Jillian would do absolutely anything to ease her husbands fears and her own as well. It was almost as if the words coming out of her mouth were meant to reassure her more than him. 

"No, actually he's not. Mom called him around eleven, i'll bet that he is in the air as we speak."   
  


"Is he bringing Carol with him? She is family now."   
  


"Mom didn't say. It feels like I don't even know her. I only met her a few times and then *poof* their married and Vincents off to San Fransisco. I understand and all that, I just wish we knew her better."   
  


"I think that Amy needs all the support that she can get." By now Peter had sat down and his hand was firmly in Jillians anxious for more news.   
  


" How long are they going to be there? Its been hours. What are they doing that could possibly take that long?" 

" Their trying to save your sister." Maxine chose that moment to walk back into the waiting room. The brief silence was deafening and you could cut the tension with a knife.   
  


" Did you get an update from the doctor?"   
  


" They're not finished yet, its not good Peter. That's all I know"   
  


  
  


Hartford Express Airport   
  


Vincent stepped off the plane in Hartford Connecticut around five a.m followed closely by his wife Carol. It was hard for him to believe that just last year he was saying goodbye to his family bound for San Fransisco. He never imagined that he would be coming home under these circumstances. A birthday or a holiday, but definitely not this.Things like this weren't supposed to Amy. She was the invincible Judge Amy Gray. As if she didn't see enough pain and tragedy everyday, now she had become a victim of it as well. 

The trip to the hospital was a long one and by now Vincent wished they had asked someone to pick them up. The cab was small and the driver was extremely irritable. 

"Hartford General Hospital and step on it." he ordered the driver and then he began staring out the window. The silence between him and Carol was growing by the minute. For some reason neither of them had anything to say. He couldn't tell her what he was thinking for some reason, so he mulled it over in his head for the rest of the ride, until they pulled up to Hartford General Hospital. Vincent got out, paid the cab driver, and headed through the doors to the front desk.   
  


  
  


The double doors to the OR waiting room swung open and a tall wiry man stepped out. Throwing his latex gloves and mask into the trash can, he grabbed a white lab coat and walked over to the anxious family waiting in the chairs.   
  
  
  


"Would you like me to take you somewhere a little more private? He asked politely.   
  


" No thanks, we are fine right here. Will you please tell me how my daughter is doing?" Maxine looked as if she was about to strangle the poor man.   
  


"Alright then........." he began.   
  


" Hey mom, wait!" came a shout from down the hall. Vincent and Carol were sprinting down the hall with all of their luggage in tow. They reached the group completely out of breath and hugs were passed all around.   
  


"As I was saying, Mrs. Gray, my name is Doctor Coolidge and I was part of the team that worked on your daughter. As you know she was hit with two nine milimeter bullets. The first one entered at the back of the left shoulder, shattering part of the scapula. There was also some extensive muscle and tissue damage. We were able to repair most of the damage and full movement will eventually be possible. That's the good news. The second bullet entered in the lower back near the L1 and L2 vertabrae, or the lumbar one and lumbar two vertabrae, just to the right of the spinal cord. Luckily none of the fragments managed to sever the spinal cord but there is a large amount of profuse swelling in that area. One of the bullet fragments traveled up through the right lung puncturing it, others caused internal bleeding." he explained slowly.   
  


"Is she going to be alright?" Vincent asked.   
  


" Looking at the tissue damage coupled with the massive amount of blood loss I am surprised that she made it this far. We are still giving her transfusions to replace all of the blood that she has lost. She's stable for now but I can't even be sure that she will survive the next few hours."   
  
  
  


End of Chapter Three   
  


This did originally have a scene in the beginning where Vincent explains what's going on to Carol but I couldn't find a way to put it into the story and I didn't really think that it was necessary. So its just implied. If you want me to post it for you then I will put it up as a separate chapter.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Little Girl Lost

  
  


I do not own the song "Background". It is written, played, and owned by the members of Third Eye Blind. I know that I have seriously neglected Bruce in this fic, but he should come in later chapters. The timing just hasn't been right for his character to come in yet. Besides its 2:30 in the morning and after countless revisions, I am to tired to think of a good plotline for him. Maybe next time. Now on to chapter four!!!   
  
  
  


Chapter Four: Little Girl Lost   
  


Everthing is quiet, when your not around, 

And I live in the numbness now, 

In the Background 

I do the things we did before, I walk Haight Street to the store, 

And they say where's that crazy girl, you don't get drunk on red wine and fight no more, 

Cause I don't see you anymore, since the hospital....   
  


  
  
  
  


The sun was peaking above the trees when the Gray family piled into their cars and headed back to the house. It was a warm spring day, the smell of grass after the previous days rain filled the air. Lauren sat at the kitchen table, eating her cereal when they burst through the backdoor. A smile spread across her face, she immediatly rose from her seat and ran to greet them.   
  


"Uncle Vincent! Why are you here?" 

" Hey munchkin!" he knelt down and hugged her. I missed you. Have you been a good girl while I was gone?"   
  


" Sure. Even though mommy still yells at me sometimes. I don't think she understands some stuff. She's just to old. Where is mommy? She never came home last night, and everybody's here....so where is she?"   
  
  
  


But the plans I make, still have you in them, as you come swimming into view, 

And Im hanging on the words, like I always used to do, the words they say so lightly, 

I only feel for you, 

I only know because I carry you around, in the background, 

I'm in the background   
  
  
  


"Sweetie, come on and sit down. I need to talk to you." Maxine ushered her to the living room couch.   
  


" Lauren, something happened yesterday..... while your mom was at work."   
  


" I just wanna know where she's at! Why won't anybody tell me?! I'm seven, can handle it." Lauren interupted before Maxine could finish.   
  


"Honey, you're mom's in the hospital. There was an accident in court, while she was trying to help someone."   
  


Lauren's eyes welled up with tears and she inched closer to Maxine's arms. "Is she gonna be okay? My soccer game is on Friday and I don't want her to miss it. She can't miss my soccer game!"   
  


" I'm sorry, but I don't think she's going to be able to make your game, I think that she'll be in the hospital for awhile."   
  
  
  


Words they come and memories all repeat, 

I lift your head while they change the hospital sheets, 

I would never lie to you no, I would never lie to you no, 

I felt you long after we were through, we were through   
  
  
  


"Grandma? Is mommy gonna die?" the little girl asked burrowing her head into Maxine's lap. It was a question that she wasn't prepared to answer and didn't really know how too.   
  


" I don't know sweetie. She was hurt pretty bad, but you know what I think would make her feel better?"   
  


"What grandma?"   
  


"A visit from her favorite daughter." 

"Silly. I'm her only daughter."   
  


"I know Lauren, I know." she said as she gently stroked Lauren's long brown hair.   
  


"I don't want mommy to die. I really don't" her tear stained face looked up, her eyes pleading for hope.   
  


"Neither do I sweetie, Neither do I."   
  
  
  


The plans I make still have you in them as you come swimming into view, 

And i'm hanging on words like I always used to do, the words they use so lightly, 

I only feel for you, 

I know because I carry you around, in the background 

I'm in the background   
  


End of chapter 4   
  


Please, review, review, review. I want feedback! 


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